Danny Green believes a healthy Joel Embiid, explosive Tyrese Maxey, and versatile rookie VJ Edgecombe provide the schematic depth necessary to overcome the New York Knicks
Danny Green's read on the Philadelphia 76ers feels like a fair assessment of their roster.
"If Joel Embiid is healthy, the 76ers have a pretty good shot against the Knicks," the three-time NBA champion said on The Pat McAfee Show. "Tyrese Maxey has been playing at a high level, and VJ Edgecombe has been hooping."
That trio gives the Sixers a much cleaner playoff formula than they had in earlier rounds, because each player stresses the defense in different ways.
Embiid remains the anchor and offensive engine of the team. Even after a season interrupted by injuries, he still put up 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, and when he is on the floor, the offense becomes far more structured.
He is a fantastic three-level scorer, great at drawing fouls and getting to the line, and able to draw double teams and open up the floor for other players. This will matter against the New York Knicks because it makes them choose between putting more bodies on Embiid or playing single coverage.
On the perimeter, Tyrese Maxey is the engine that makes everything move faster. He averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists this season, and his best stretches in this postseason have come when he can attack downhill and put pressure on the defense.
That is where Embiid helps him most.
Embiid's gravity drags defenders away, and Maxey can attack those seams for easy points. This creates one of the best two-man games in the sport, as they bolster each other's strengths and cover any flaws one might have.
Edgecombe is a support piece that makes the matchup more dangerous. The rookie averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists and has already shown he can punish teams for overhelping on Maxey. He is also a strong point-of-attack defender, which means he does not just add a scoring punch; he also helps Philadelphia survive on the other end when the game slows down and half-court defense becomes crucial.
That is why this Knicks series feels different from the Celtics matchup on paper. Boston looked like the better team almost everywhere. New York looks more beatable, but that is because Philadelphia has a star center, a downhill guard, and a rookie wing that can make defenses pay for being lax on him.
If those three are all functioning, then the Sixers become one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.